Are epigenetic modifications of key genes in placenta important links between mother’s lifestyle and fetal pre- and postnatal growth patterns and future diabetes risk?

Background:
In utero exposures are possible mediators of risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adulthood, by modulating placental function and early life development and growth.  

Aims:
Our aim is to examine if variations methylation of growth-related hormones and morphology in placental tissue mediates effects of maternal factors on offspring growth from mid pregnancy until pre-school age.

Methods:
High quality maternal data collected from pregnancy, birth and postpartum and later routine anthropometric measurements of the children in the STORK-Groruddalen cohort is used. Placental epigenetic modifications are assessed using Formaline-Fixed-Paraffine-Embedded placental (FFPE) tissue.

News from 2022:
A pilot test of genome-wide metylation analyses (n=8) has been performed, with promising results. Analyses in a larger sample (n=96) has now started. Two papers exploring 1) the associations between maternal metabolic factors- and placental size and phenotype and 2) the potential mediating role of placental anthropometry on the associations between of maternal metabolism on offspring body composition at birth, is in progress.

Primary Investigator: Line Sletner

Co-investigators/participants:  
Ahus/Epigen: Yvonne Böttcher (Prof), Aina Fossum Moen (Forsker), Hilde Nilsen (Prof)
UiO: Anne Karen Jenum (Prof. Emerit.), Kåre I. Birkeland (Prof)
OUS: Christine Sommer (PhD), Gitta Turowski (MD, PhD)

External collaborators: 
India, Pune: Chittaranjan S. Yajnik